Veteran pacer James Anderson believes that the defending champions England are blessed to have the embarrassment of riches going into the ODI World Cup in India. English side clinched their first-ever ICC Cricket World Cup trophy by the finest of margins against New Zealand on their home soil in 2019.
England has transitioned into a formidable side following their poor run in the 2015 World Cup as they brought in a lot of firepower in the batting department. Jos Buttler-led side will face huge challenges to defend themselves in sub-continental conditions on their title defence in the Indian conditions.
Speaking on Test Match Special, James Anderson hailed the England team for having so many good talents in the country and feels that experienced stars Ben Stokes and Joe Root live for the moment like this in International Cricket.
“England have an embarrassment of riches, They’ve got so much experience in that team. Ben Stokes, Joe Root, these guys love this competition and the big moments.”
“You feel like you’ve got a group of players where any one of them can play in any 11 out of that 16/17 players could do a great job,” James Anderson said.
Joe Root is one of the most incredible batters of the current generation in world cricket. Root has a stellar record in ODI cricket, with over 6000 runs at an average of 50.00, including 16 centuries. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has been the biggest match-winner for England in the last few years producing some memorable knocks for his team in ICC events.
It Will Always Be The Case, There Are Always Players You Will Leave Out – James Anderson
James Anderson feels that few Indian players will miss out on the playing 11 after the return of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy and admitted that it is inevitable for good players to miss out on the team for the marquee event in India.
“It will always be the case, there are always players you will leave out. There are 17 in the squad when [Jonny] Bairstow and [Jason] Roy are back [from injury], they come straight back in, that probably takes out Brook and [Liam] Livingstone, meaning Moeen [Ali] to come back in,” James Anderson added.
Jason Roy was an important part of the England team in Eoin Morgan’s era, as he played a pivotal role in their title-winning campaign on their home soil 2019 ODI World Cup, and Jonny Bairstow is a destructive batter, who can take on any bowling attack on his given day, as he can operate well against fast bowlers and spinners at a high strike rate and could be crucial for England in the ODI World Cup.